tmtmu 


A  Monthly  Missionary  Paper,  published  by  the 

WOMAN’S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 

OF  THE 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH . 

PRICE,  50  Cts.  PER  YEAR. 


MRS.  W.  F.  WARREN,  Editor. 


MISS  PAULINE  J.  WALDEN,  Agent. 


36  Bromfield  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


TWENTY  YEARS 


OF  THE 

Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 


1869— 1889. 


Mrs.  J.  T.  Grace y. 


“  Hit  tier  to  Liatli  tlie  Lord  Lielped  us.' 


1880. 


Heathen  Woman’s  Friend,  36  Bromfield  St., 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


TWENTY  YEARS’  WORK 


OF  THE 


“  All  things  can  be  to  him  who  will  believe, 

All  might,  all  grace,  to  him  who  will  receive ; 

And  they  that  know  their  God  shall  valiant  be,— 

He  leads  His  people  on  to  victory.” 

- - 

INITIAL  HISTORY. 

IN  a  review  of  work  accomplished  by  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  a  period  of  twenty  years,  a  brief  summary  of  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  Society  becomes  a  necessity,  that  we  may  more 
clearly  see  “all  the  way  which  the  Lord  led  ”  us. 

On  a  stormy  day  in  the  month  of  March,  1869,  a  few  Meth¬ 
odist  women  met  in  the  Tremont  Street  Church,  Boston, 
Mass.,  and  organized  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  necessity 
was  upon  them  because  of  the  millions  of  women  in  heathen 


4 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


lands  who  could  be  reached  and  helped  only  by  the  aid  of 
Christian  women.  Returned  missionaries  had  told  the  story 
of  woman’s  degradation  without  the  gospel,  and  urged  the 
sending  out  of  women  as  teachers  who  should  enter  the 
homes  of  heathendom,  which  only  women  could  enter.  The 
prejudices  of  ages  had  been  weakened,  and  missionary  work 
had  come  to  a  point  when  it  must  have  this  help. 

The  few  godly  women  who  determined  to  try  to  unite  the 
women  of  Methodism  in  this  new  organization  communi¬ 
cated  with  Rev.  Dr.  Durbin,  then  corresponding  secretary 
of  the  Missionary  Society,  in  a  letter  bearing  date  March  8tli, 
1869,  and  sought  advice  in  regard  to  methods  of  work. 

In  a  reply,  dated  March  20,  1869,  Dr.  Durbin  advised  that 
two  things  should  be  aimed  at :  first,  to  raise  fuuds  for  a 
particular  portion  of  the  work  in  India,  perhaps  also  in 
China;  aud,  second,  to  leave  the  administration  of  the  work 
to  the  Board  at  home,  and  the  missions  in  India.  The  organ¬ 
ization  was  then  completed  by  the  election  of  managers  and 
Vice-Presidents,  representing  different  parts  of  the  country, 
and  one  central  Treasurer  in  Boston. 

On  May  7th,  Drs.  Durbin  and  Harris  met  the  friends  of  the 
new  organization,  and  after  full  and  free  consultation,  ex¬ 
pressed  entire  satisfaction  with  the  action,  and  after¬ 
wards  commended  the  new  Society  most  heartily  in  the 
church  papers. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


5 


The  women  of  the  church  in  all  sections  of  the  country  were 
immediately  invited  to  unite  in  this  work,  and  soon  auxiliary 
societies  were  organized.  The  first  public  meeting  of  the 

Society  was  held  in  the  Bromfield  Street  Church,  Boston, 

* 

May  26,  1869,  at  which  addresses  were  made  by  returned 
missionaries  and  others,  setting  forth  the  great  need  for 
such  a  Society.  At  the  close  of  this  public  occasion,  the 
women  held  a  special  meeting,  and  voted  to  send  out  their 
first  missionary.  This  was  an  important  hour  in  the  history 
of  the  Society.  With  large  faith  in  God,  and  in  their  work, 
but  with  very  little  money  in  the  treasury,  they  took  this 
advanced  action.  Miss  Thoburn,  of  Ohio,  had  been  highly 
recommended,  and,  after  a  general  discussion,  one  of  the 
committee  said :  “Shall  we  lose  Miss  Thoburn  because  we 
have  not  the  needed  money  in  our  hands  to  send  her?  No, 
rather  let  us  walk  the  streets  of  Boston  in  our  calico  dresses, 
and  save  the  expense  of  more  costly  apparel.  I  move,  then, 
the  appointment  of  Miss  Thoburn  as  our  missionary  to 
India.”  And  they  all  said,  “We  will  send  her.”  Part  of  the 
money  for  her  expenses  was  borrowed,  but  it  was  soon  paid. 

Very  soon  after  this,  came  an  appeal  from  our  missionaries 
in  India,  for  a  medical  woman,  if  such  could  be  found,  to 
take  charge  of  a  medical  class  which  had  been  organized  in 
the  orphanage  in  Bareilly.  The  hope  was  expressed  that 
such  a  person  might  find  her  way  into  the  zenanas,  help  the 


6 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


sick  and  suffering  who  were  without  any  medical  attention , 
and  thus  be  able  to  present  the  gospel  to  them.  This  seemed 
rather  a  heroic  venture.  In  a  few  months  the  name  of  Miss 
Clara  A.  Swain,  M.D.,  was  presented.  The  highest  tes¬ 
timonials  were  given  to  her  ability,  and  she  was  accepted 
for  this  responsible  undertaking.  These  two  representatives, 
Miss  Thoburn  and  Dr.  Swain  sailed  from  New  York  Novem¬ 
ber  3d,  1869, via  England,  for  India,  and  reached  their  destina¬ 
tion  early  in  January,  1870. 

They  were  cordially  received  by  the  North  India  Confer¬ 
ence  in  appreciative  resolutions  concerning  this  Society 
and  its  first  laborers.  Miss  Thoburn  was  appointed  to  the 
city  of  Lucknow,  and  Dr.  Swain  to  Bareilly.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  work  abroad. 

REVISED  ORGANIZATION. 

After  a  few  months,  however,  it  became  evident  that  the 
Constitution  which  had  been  framed  to  meet  the  requirements 
so  far  as  could  then  be  anticipated,  was  inadequate  to  meet 
the  necessities  caused  by  the  rapid  increase  of  auxiliaries  and 
members  all  over  the  country. 

Hence,  in  December  of  that  year,  a  new  constitution  was 
framed,  on  another  plan,  arranging  for  Branch  societies, 
comprising  certain  districts  with  headquarters  at  specified 
cities.  This  constitution  provided  for  a  General  Executive 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society.  < 

Committee,  composed  of  delegates  from  each  Branch,  who 
should  have  the  general  management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Society.  This  was  submitted  to  the  parent  board  of  the 
Missionary  Society  for  their  approval  and  sanction,  which  it 
received.  The  Society,  as  organized,  had  six  Branches,  viz. . 
New  England,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  North-Western, 
Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis.  Auxiliary  Societies  sprang  up 
everywhere,  and  missionary  enthusiasm  was  kindled  in  the 
home  and  in  the  church.  The  method  adopted  for  raising 
funds  and  prosecuting  the  work  of  the  Society  was  not  by 
public  collections  for  special  work,  but  by  every  Christian 
woman  laying  aside  two  cents  a  week,  or  the  payment  of  one 
dollar  a  year,  which  should  constitute  membership.  So  small 
was  the  amount  that  all  women,  even  the  most  humble,  could 
have  a  share  in  the  work.  The  aim  was  to  have  an  Auxiliary 
in  every  church,  and  each  Branch  to  have  its  assigned  woik 
in  the  foreign  field. 

Throughout  the  Church  a  missionary  enthusiasm  was  en¬ 
kindled.  Women,  touched  by  the  Spirit’s  power,  came  for¬ 
ward,  and  by  voice,  pen,  and  tears,  pleaded  for  their  heathen 
sisters.  There  came  a  new  inspiration  and  hope  to  the  mis¬ 
sionaries  in  the  foreign  field  from  this  new  organization. 
“I  believe,”  said  one,  “that  God  will  make  this  Society  a 
choice  agent  for  good ;  our  faith  in  its  success  has  not  the 
first  symptoms  of  weakness  in  it.”  Many  of  them  wrote 
rejoicing  that  such  a  Society  was  an  accomplished  fact. 


8 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


A  year  soon  passed,  a  year  of  labor,  of  new  experiences  ;  a 
year  in  which  prejudices  had  to  be  overcome  among  both 
ministers  and  members  of  the  Church,  for  some  feared  that 
the  Society  in  its  operations  might  interfere  with  the  col¬ 
lections  of  the  Parent  Board.  The  women  who  were  working 
had  not  been  trained  in  business  methods,  but  they  realized 
they  were  being  divinely  led. 

The  time  drew  near  for  the  first  Annual  Meeting  under  the 
revised  constitution.  It  was  a  gathering  looked  forward  to 
with  the  deepest  interest.  Women  who  had  been  called  out 
from  the  quiet  seclusion  of  their  homes  to  do  this  untried 
work,  were  to  assemble  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to 
rehearse  their  experience.  They  had  undertaken  a  work  re¬ 
quiring  human  love,  and  superhuman  faith.  The  objects  of 
their  prayerful  interest  were  thousands  of  miles  away,  far 
over  the  seas  ;  women  they  had  never  seen.  They  had  tried, 
during  the  year,  to  represent  their  condition  to  the  women  of 
the  church.  They  were  to  report  their  success  in  gleaning 
financial  fields  and  in  gathering  the  sheaves  which  had  been 
let  fall,  “some  of  the  handfuls,  of  purpose,  for  her.”  This 
gathering  meant  much,  and  many  eyes  were  turned  towards 
this  meeting  place  of  the  tribes,  and  many  hearts  were  up¬ 
lifted  iu  prayer. 

This  first  General  Executive  Committee  convened  iu 
Boston,  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  T.  A.  Rich,  on  Wednesday, 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


9 


April  20th,  1870,  and  the  six  organized  Branches  were  repre¬ 
sented  by  the  following  persons :  The  New  England  Branch, 
by  Mrs.  W.  F.  Warren,  Mrs.  D.  Patten,  Mrs.  L.  Flanders; 
the  New  York  Branch,  by  Mrs.  William  Butler,  Mrs.  H.  B. 
Skidmore  and  Mrs.  J.  Olin;  the  Philadelphia  Branch,  by 
Mrs.  J.  T.  Gracey,  Mrs.  A.  V.  Eastlack;  the  Cincinnati 
Branch,  by  Mrs.  E.  W.  Parker,  who  had  just  organized  that 
Branch;  the  North-western  Branch,  by  Mrs.  J.  F.  Willing, 
Mrs.  F.  Jones  ;  and  the  St.  Louis  or  Western  Branch,  by  Mrs. 
L.  E.  Prescott.  Mrs.  Dr.  Patten  presided  at  this  meeting. 
The  report  showed  that  $4,546.86  had  been  raised  during  the 
year,  and  one  hundred  auxiliaries  had  been  organized.  On 
Thursday,  April  '21st,  an  anniversary  was  held  and  four 
returned  missionaries  were  present  who  made  addresses  on 
different  phases  of  the  foreign  mission  work.  A  report 
of  this  meeting  appeared  in  Zion's  Herald,  which  stated  : 
“This  anniversary  was  eminently  successful  and  worthy  of 
its  place  in  the  history  of  the  Society.”  During  the  session 
of  this  committee,  estimates  from  India  were  received  ask¬ 
ing  for  $10,000,  which  was  appropriated ;  and  $300  was 
appropriated  to  China,  for  work  in  Foochow,  Kiu  Kiang,  and 
Peking.  This  seemed  a  large  task  to  undertake.  The 
previous  year  had  been  successful,  possibly  because  the 
enterprise  was  new ;  but  would  it  be  wise  to  attempt  to 
raise  so  large  an  amount  for  another  year?  But  these  were 


10 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


women  of  large  faith,  and  Mrs.  E.  W.  Parker  made  a  motion 
that  the  amount  for  the  coming  year  be  made  twenty  thou¬ 
sand  dollars.  The  motion  was  unanimously  adopted.  It 
seemed  almost  impracticable  for  an  association  of  ladies 
pledged  to  make  no  special  efforts  like  church  collections, 
towards  raising  money,  but  simply  by  membership  dues  and 
private  donations,  to  bring  together  in  so  few  months,  so 
many  thousands  of  dollars.  This  amount  of  money  was 


apportioned  among  the  branches  as  follows  : 

New  England  .....  .$3,000 

New  York . 6,000 

Philadelphia . 2,500 

Chicago . 6,000 

Cincinnati . 1,800 

St.  Louis .  700 


$20,000 

Previous  to  this,  some  money  had  been  paid  over  to  Dr. 
Harris  for  the  support  of  a  Bible  reader  in  Moradabad, 
which  was  really  the  first  work  actually  adopted  by  the 
Society. 

The  Girls’  Orphanage  at  Bareilly,  India,  in  which  at  that 
time  were  about  150  girls,  was  made  over  by  the  General 
Missionary  Committee  of  the  church,  to  the  Society  at  this 
meeting.  Reports  were  made  concerning  girls’  schools  that 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


11 


had  been  opened  at  special  stations,  and  Bible  women  em¬ 
ployed  during  the  year.  The  magnitude  of  the  work  became 
clearer  at  this  meeting  than  ever  before. 

These  women  went  out  to  the  work  of  another  year, 
burdened  but  hopeful,  to  make  a  combined  mbvement 
forward.  The  next  year  the  work  became  more  thoroughly 
systemized  at  home,  and  they  began  to  “strengthen  the 
stakes,  and  lengthen  the  cords.” 

At  the  second  session  of  the  General  Executive  Committee, 
which  convened  in  Chicago,  May,  1871,  we  find  the  number  of 
Auxiliary  Societies  increased  to  614,  and  over  26,000  mem¬ 
bers,  and  not  only  the  $20,000  in  hand,  but  $2,000  more. 
The  first  business  was  the  division  of  the  Philadelphia 
Branch  territory,  ceding  to  the  Baltimore  ladies  the  terri¬ 
tory  of  Maryland,  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  Eastern 
Virginia.  These  had  given  up  their  former  organization, 
under  which  they  had  earnestly  worked  for  years  in  behall 
of  the  mission  at  Foochow,  China,  and  had  re-organized  as  a 
Branch  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society.  During 
this  session  came  the  news  from  Georgia,  that  the  eighth 
Branch  had  been  formed.  It  received,  according  to  request, 
permission  to  establish  headquarters  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

The  estimates  which  came  from  India  this  year  were  nearly 
double  in  amount  those  of  the  previous  year.  This  budget 
included  the  cost  of  sending  out  several  new  missionaries, 


12 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


and  the  support  of  those  already  in  the  field,  and  increased 
appropriations  for  schools  and  Bible  readers.  China  now 
asked  to  be  heard.  From  Peking  a  petition  was  received  for 
over  $5,000;  besides,  they  desired  the  support  of  lady  teach¬ 
ers  and  of  school  work.  Two  ladies  were  appointed  for  Pek¬ 
ing.  In  the  autumn  of  1870,  Miss  Fannie  J.  Sparkes  had  gone, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  New  York  Branch,  to  join  the  two 
other  representatives  of  the  Society  in  India,  Miss  Thoburn, 
and  Miss  Swain.  From  these  ladies,  and  from  the  faithful 
wives  of  the  missionaries,  there  came  most  encouraging  and 
inspiring  reports  of  the  work  in  the  mission  field,  proving 
that  the  year’s  labor  here  at  home  in  collecting  funds  had 
been  balanced  by  a  year  of  constant  activity  in  the  mission, 
the  results  of  which  had  been  in  every  respect  as  great  as 
those  of  the  home-workers.  Miss  Thoburn,  at  Lucknow, 
had  organized  schools,  and  put  them  in  excellent  operation ; 
made  many  personal  visits  to  the  native  women,  and  super¬ 
intended  the  work  of  Bible  readers.  Miss  Swain’s  medical 
ability  had  had  constant  exercise,  gaining  for  her  admission 
to  m any  places  which  otherwise  had  remained  resolutely 
closed,  and  preparing  the  way  for  others  to  follow,  and  care 
for  the  good  seed  sown.  The  class  of  girls  she  had  uuder 
medical  instruction  made  good  progress. 

In  these  early  davs,  a  word  of  encouragement  meant  very 
much.  The  Bishops,  almost  without  exception,  most  heartily 


woman’s  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIE1Y.  1*0 

endorsed  the  work  of  the  Society.  The  General  Conference 
of  1872  took  action,  granting  the  Society  the  most  cordial 
recognition  and  encouragement,  and  each  succeeding  session 
they  have  put  themselves  upon  record  to  the  effect  that  the 
Society  is  a  most  important  auxiliary  in  missionary  work. 

In  1872,  important  action  was  taken  in  regard  to  tenure  of 
property,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  by  which  the  trustees  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  were  to  hold  property 
for  this  Society.  In  1873,  very  earnest  applications  were 
received  for  extending  the  work  into  Mexico  and  South 
America.  At  this  Executive  Committee  Meeting,  eight  mis¬ 
sionary  candidates  were  recommended,  four  of  whom  were 
accepted.  Two  of  these  were  sent  to  open  the  work  in  these 
Roman  Catholic  countries. 

In  1874,  the  Committee  decided  to  take  up  work  in  Africa. 
This  they  prosecuted  under  great  disadvantages  for  five 
years.  The  death  of  one  missionary  and  the  inability  to 
establish  permanent  work,  caused  the  abandonment  of  the 
field.  This  same  year  arrangements  were  made  for  commenc¬ 
ing  work  in  Japan.  This  was  made  possible  by  a  donation 
of  a  thousand  dollars  for  that  specific  purpose.  The  de¬ 
velopment  in  Japan  is  of  the  most  remarkably  aggiessi\e 
character.  A  young  lady  from  Illinois  was  appointed  to  that 
field.  She  proceeded  there  alone,  selected  property  in 
Tokyo,  rented  a  heathen  temple,  started  a  Christian  school  in 


u 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


one  room,  while  a  Buddhist  priest  taught  in  another  room; 
she  laid  large  plans  for  future  work.  That  school  now  num¬ 
bers  160  pupils,  and  is  a  model  of  its  kind.  Other  important 
cities  were  occupied,  Yokohama,  Hakodati,  Nagasaki,  and 
Fukuoka,  and  flourishing  schools  were  established  in  each. 
In  1877,  Italy  and  Bulgaria  were  opened  by  the  employ¬ 
ment  of  Bible  readers  at  various  points. 

In  all  these  fields  every  Christian  agency  was  utilized 
for  reaching  and  saving  the  women  and  girls.  Direct 
evangelistic  work  through  missionaries,  Christian  women, 
and  Bible  women ;  indirect  evangelistic  work  by  establish¬ 
ing  and  sustaining  day  and  boarding  schools;  through 
benevolent  agencies,  such  as  orphanages,  and  medical 
work,  carried  on  by  American  and  native  workers;  the 
establishment  of  hospitals  and  dispensaries ;  and  by  creat¬ 
ing  a  native  Christian  literature.  At  the  close  of  1879,  or 
first  decade,  we  find  the  work  well  established  in  India, 
China,  Japan,  Africa,  Italy,  South  America  and  Mexico; 
with  38  missionaries  in  the  field,  200  Bible  women  and 
native  teachers,  six  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  15  board¬ 
ing  schools  with  696  pupils,  115  day  schools  with  nearly 
3,000  pupils,  three  orphanages  with  347  pupils,  and  two 
homes  for  friendless  women,  the  annual  appropriations 
for  the  work  having  increased  to  $89,000.  Homes  had 
been  built  for  the  missionaries,  school  buildings  erected,  and 
permanency  given  to  every  branch  of  the  work. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


15 


SUBSEQUENT  HISTORY. 

The  history  of  the  Society  for  the  next  ten  years  is 
simply  that  of  continued  and  increased  activities  as  the  way 
opened,  and  as  there  came  the  ability  to  occupy.  Every 
effort  was  made  to  establish  and  strengthen  the  work  in 
hand.  Into  all  fields  more  missionaries  were  sent.  In 
China,  the  girls’ boarding-school  in  Eoochow,  and  the  day 
schools  in  the  contiguous  villages,  taught  by  the  wives  of 
native  preachers,  and  girls  trained  in  the  boarding-school, 
were  as  great  lights  shining  in  a  dark  place,  and  as  leaven 
working  amidst  the  ignorance  and  degradation  of  the  girl¬ 
hood  of  China.  In  the  training-school  for  women,  the  mem¬ 
bers  bound  themselves  by  a  written  contract  to  be  mutually 
prayerful  and  helpful,  admonishing  and  watching  for  one 

another’s  welfare. 

In  the  school  at  Peking,  at  one  time,  twenty  of  the  girls  had 
their  feet  unbound,  and  as  there  was  a  growing  sentiment  in 
favor  of  this  reform  among  the  church  members,  it  became 
a  rule  that  no  child  would  be  received  who  would  be  unwil¬ 
ling  to  have  the  bandages  taken  off,  and  this,  we  believe,  is 
the  only  school  in  North  China  that  makes  this  requirement. 

In  1884  Chin-Kiang  was  opened,  a  physician  and  teacher 
sent,  and  buildings  have  since  been  erected.  In  1886,  by  the 
aid  of  a  special  donation,  Nanking  was  occupied. 


16 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


In  1882  the  Society  sent  a  representative  to  West  China, 
a  field  whose  vastness,  population,  resources,  strategic  im¬ 
portance  and  promise,  very  few  comprehend.  To  open  this 
held,  and  to  plant  mission  work  in  Chin-Iviang  necessitated 
a  perilous  journey,  only  possible  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  over  rocks  and  waterfalls ;  but  the  Society  sent  its  rep¬ 
resentative  there,  a  home  was  built,  a  school  opened  with  40 
pupils,  and  the  promise  for  work  among  the  women  seemed 
very  hopeful,  and  for  nearly  four  years  the  seed  of  gospel 
truth  was  scattered  in  hearts  never  before  reached.  But 
through  the  violence  of  a  Chinese  mob  in  1886,  the  mission 
property  was  all  destroyed,  and  Missionaries  of  the 
Parent  Board  with  those  of  our  own  Society,  were  compelled 
to  fly  for  their  lives,  and  the  work  was  necessarily  aband¬ 
oned.  Nothing  daunted  or  discouraged,  these  Missionaries 
hope  soon  to  return  and  commence  work  again. 


In  India,  every  department  of  the  work  has  extended,  until 
in  the  territory  of  the  North  India  Conference,  girls’ schools, 
and  a  system  of  house  visitation,  are  carried  on  by  the  Society 
in  all  the  large  cities,  and  in  villages.  Every  kind  of 
school  is  to  be  found  in  the  seventy  stations  occupied. 

In  1879  the  Society  commenced  a  new  phase  of  work,  of 
special  interest  and  promise,  among  the  Eurasians,  a  class  of 
intelligent  people,  speaking  English,  and  of  native  and  English 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


17 


parentage.  A  school  for  the  daughters  of  these  people  was 
opened  in  Calcutta,  which  has  done  a  marvellous  work  in 
raising  up  teachers  and  Christian  workers  from  among  the 
people  they  sought  to  influence.  A  new  building  for  such 
purposes  in  Calcutta, was  dedicated  in  1886.  Another  school  of 
this  character  was  begun  in  Rangoon,  Burmah,  in  connection 
with  which  a  kindergarten  class  is  being  started,  the  first  in 
Burmah,  and  another  in  Cawnpore;  and  in  these,  many  of 
the  pupil3  have  been  converted  and  received  into  the  Church, 
while  some  have  gone  out  to  teach.  In  Madras,  one  hundred 
zenanas  are  not  only  open,  but  systematically  visited.  In 
Roorkee  and  Poona  are  flourishing  schools. 

In  Bombay  a  foothold  has  been  secured  in  the  very  heart  of 
Mohammedanism.  In  this  great  city,  the  workers  represent 
that  they  have  openings  in  the  native  homes  of  luxury,  and 
in  the  wards  of  squalor. 

In  1887  a  lady  was  appointed  to  commence  work  among 
the  women  and  girls  in  the  far-away  station  of  Singapore,  in 
the  Straits  Settlements. 

In  1888  work  was  started  in  Muttra,  one  of  the  greatest 
strongholds  of  heathendom  in  all  India.  Here,  where  eight 
thousand  women  do  temple-service,  the  Society  has  arranged 
for  a  training-school,  and  for  general  Missionary  work. 


18 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


In  1884  the  first  missionary  was  sent  to  Bulgaria,  although 
the  Society  had  worked  for  some  time  there  by  employing 
Bible  readers.  Now  a  system  of  itinerating  is  kept  up 
among  the  villages.  A  successful  boarding-school  is  at 
Loftcha,  and  day  schools  at  Sistof,  Orchania.,  and  Rustchuk. 


In  1877  our  first  missionary  was  sent  to  Italy,  although 
previous  to  this  the  work  was  carried  on  at  various  points. 
There  are  agencies  in  fifteen  cities. 


In  South  America  the  work,  though  still  confined  to 
Rosario,  Montevideo,  and  Buenos  Ayres,  has  been  strength¬ 
ened,  and  some  fourteen  schools  are  supported,  and  large 
numbers  of  Bibles  have  been  distributed. 


In  Mexico  the  Society  has  moved  forward,  and  there  has 
been  much  good  work  done.  In  eleven  stations  evangelistic 
agencies  are  bringing  about  wonderful  results.  The  Or¬ 
phanage  in  Mexico  city  has  educated  and  sent  its  pupils  out 
as  teachers.  In  Pachuca  and  Puebla  the  schools  are  of  a 
high  order,  and  so  popular  as  to  give  the  Romanists  great 
concern.  In  the  school  in  Puebla  this  past  year  there  has 
been  a  remarkable  awakening.  A  regular  Pentecost  has  been 
reported,  and  many  Mexican  girls  have  been  saved.  Nearly 
every  girl  in  the  school  has  been  brought  into  the  Church. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


19 


The  property  where  this  revival  has  been  in  progress,  con¬ 
sisting  of  Theological  school,  Parsonage,  Chapel  and  Girls’ 
school,  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  Romish  Inquisition  build¬ 
ings,  where  victims  were  confined  or  walled  up  to  die.  How 
marvellously  has  God  worked  for  us  in  Mexico. 


In  Japan  the  developments  during  this  decade  have  been 
beyond  the  highest  and  most  sanguine  hopes.  Property  has 
been  purchased,  school  buildings  erected,  a  large  number  ol 
missionaries  sent  to  reinforce  the  workers,  and  in  nine  sta¬ 
tions  the  openings  are  so  great  it  seems  impossible  to  enter  all. 
The  desire  for  female  education,  and  the  spirit  of  revival  in 
church  and  school,  have  scarcely  a  parallel  in  modern  Mis¬ 
sionary  work. 


The  Society  entered  Korea  in  1885,  by  sending  one  Mission¬ 
ary.  For  two  years  she  held  the  situation  alone,  but  re-in- 
forcements  have  been  sent,  and  now  in  a  beautiful  home,  on  a 
hill-top,  overlooking  the  city  of  Seoul,  these  missionaries 
reside,  having  a  school  of  seventeen  girls.  Twenty  women 
have  been  trained,  and  three  of  them  having  given  satisfac¬ 
tory  evidence  of  changed  lives  were  recently  baptized,  receiv¬ 
ing  the  Christian  names  of  Martha,  Miriam,  and  Salome,  the 
first  fruits  of  that  “Hermit  nation.” 


20 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


While  all  this  was  being  developed  abroad,  a  corresponding 
development  was  taking  place  at  home. 

The  German  work  was  commenced  in  1883,  and  is  now  dis¬ 
tributed  over  seven  Conferences  in  the  United  States,  also 
in  the  Swiss  and  German  Conferences  in  Europe.  There  are 
122  Auxiliary  Societies,  with  3,061  members,  and  28  Life 
Members.  In  Germany  35  Auxiliaries,  with  487  Members ;  in 
the  Swiss  Conference  15  Auxiliaries  with  488  members.  The 
contributions  in  the  United  States  amounted  last  year  to 
$3,414.10;  in  Germany  $134.97;  in  Switzerland  $137.38,  mak¬ 
ing  a  total  of  $3,686.45. 

In  1883  the  territory  of  the  Western  Branch  was  divided 
into  three  separate  Branches,  viz.  :  the  Des  Moines,  Topeka, 
and  Minneapolis ;  and  thus  the  work  throughout  the  West 
was  more  thoroughly  and  systematically  organized. 

In  1888  a  memorial  was  presented  from  the  Pacific  Coast, 
asking  to  be  included  iu  the  sisterhood  of  Branches,  and  for 
the  first  time  the  Pacific  Branch  appears  in  the  Report  with 
an  apportionment  of  $2,400  for  the  coming  year.  Thus  the 
Society  stretches  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 


The  Society  was  incorporated  under  the  Laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York  in  1884.  It  now  holds  real  estate  in  foreign 
lands  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
thousand  dollars. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


21 


LITERATURE. 

0 

The  Heathen  Woman's  Friend  .—The  Society  realized  at 
once  upon  its  organization  that  it  was  necessary  to  have  some 
method  of  communication  simongst  the  members,  and  be¬ 
tween  them  and  the  Missionaries  on  the  field.  Hence  airange- 
ments  were  made  to  issue  a  monthly  paper  of  their  own, 
appropriately  called  Heathen  Woman's  Friend,  the  first  num¬ 
ber  of  which  appeared  in  June,  1869. 

From  an  appeal  in  its  pages  we  extract  the  following .  It 
is  proposed  by  our  Executive  Committee  to  issue  a  monthly 
paper  containing  the  latest  intelligence  from  our  missions, 
with  contributions  respecting  the  claims,  methods  and  pro¬ 
gress  of  our  work  among  heathen  women.  The  design  is  to 
furnish  just  such  a  paper  as  will  be  read  with  interest  by  all 
friends  of  the  cause,  and  which  will  assist  in  enlisting  the 
sympathies  of  the  children,  and  educate  them  more  fully  in 
Missionary  work.” 

This  was  indeed  a  new  venture — to  publish  a  paper  in  the 
interests  of  heathen  women.  Mrs.  Warren,  wife  of  Rev. 
William  F.  Warren,  D.D  ,  was  appointed  editor,  and  has 
continued  to  fill  this  position  uninterruptedly  during  these 
twenty  years.  The  paper  started  modestly  with  eight  pages, 
and  at  the  low  subscription  price  of  thirty  dents.  The  first 
year,  the  list  of  subscribers  reached  four  thousand.  In  the 


22 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


annual  report  of  the  Society,  the  following  statement  was 
made,  contrary  to  all  expectations:  “This  paper  has  paid 
all  its  expenses  the  first  year.’'  So  successful  had  been  the 
venture  that  arrangements  were  made  for  an  enlargement  to 
twelve  pages,  without  increase  of  price.  For  the  first  year 
Mr.  James  P.  Magee  acted  as  general  agent.  During  1870,  the 
circulation  of  this  paper  increased  from  four  thousand  to 
twenty-one  thousand ;  an  increase  unprecedented  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  any  missionary  paper.  In  1871,  the  name  of  Mrs.  L. 
H.  Daggett  appears  as  publishing  agent.  The  price  that  year 
was  raised  to  thirty-five  cents.  From  all  quarters,  and  es¬ 
pecially  from  the  Church  press,  came  appreciative  words  con¬ 
cerning  the  paper  and  its  management.  In  July,  1872,  tour 
more  pages  were  added,  and  it  became  a  sixteen-paged  paper, 
and  its  circulation  reached  twenty-four  thousand.  In  May, 
of  this  year,  it  appeared  with  its  first  illustration.  The  en¬ 
graving  was  that  of  the  Mission  House  and  Orphanage  at  Bar¬ 
eilly,  a  place  about  which  so  much  of  interest  has  clustered; 
since  then  it  has  furnished  many  engravings  of  school 
buildings,  missionary  homes  and  other  edifices,  and  also  of 
some  of  the  missionaries,  Bible  readers,  and  teachers.  Again 
in  1875,  the  size  of  the  paper  was  increased  from  sixteen  to 
twenty-four  pages  ;  and  the  subscription  price  was  raised  to 
fifty  cents.  In  this  year  also  a  new  feature  known  as  “  The 
Home  Department  ”  was  incorporated,  the  material  being 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


23 


contributed  by  the  Branch  Corresponding  Secretaries.  In 
1882,  at  the  close  of  twelve  years  of  service,  Mrs.  L.  H. 
Daggett  retired  as  agent,  and  Miss  Pauline  J.  Walden  was 
appointed  in  her  place.  In  1878,  at  the  Executive  Committee 
meeting  in  Boston,  a  “  Standing  Committee  on  Publication  ” 
was  made,  consisting  of  the  corresponding  secretaries  ot  the 
several  branches,  which  was  to  have  charge  of  the  paper.  In 
July,  1871,  the  paper  contained  a  map  of  the  Mission  stations 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India ;  the  first  map  of 
the  kind  ever  given  to  the  Church.  It  was  prepared  by  a 
missionary  of  this  Society.  The  paper  has  furnished  full 
reports  of  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee  in  annual  session ;  and  the  acknowledgment  of  all 
moneys  to  the  Society  through  the  several  Branch  tieasuiies  ; 
and  kept  the  thread  of  the  history  of  the  work  on  every  mis¬ 
sion  field  abroad ,  as  well  as  much  of  the  detail  of  the  work  by 
the  auxilaries  at  home.  Since  1878,  it  has  furnished  the 
outline  of  what  is  entitled  the  Uniform  Study  of  each  month, 
by  means  of  which  the  women  of  all  the  Societies  unite  in 
pursuing  a  systematic  course  of  study  of  missionary  subjects. 
It  has  received  uniformly  the  heartiest  commendation  from 
missionaries,  and  ministers,  and  laymen.  At  the  close  of 
1888,  its  subscription  list  enrolled  19,977  addresses.  This 
paper  has  from  the  first  paid  all  expenses,  and  so  wisely 
have  its  finances  been  administered,  that  it  has  paid  for 
nearly  all  the  miscellaneous  literature  issued  by  the  Socieiy 


24 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


Leaflets  and  other  Literature  :  In  1877,  the  necessity  was  felt 
for  more  general  information  on  missionary  topics  and 
mission  countries,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare 
a  class  of  literature  for  general  circulation  that  might  aid  in 
meeting  this  want.  This  department  of  the  work  has  grown 
until  from  one  to  two  millions  of  pages  are  issued  annually, 
the  most  of  them  in  English,  but  some  in  German. 


Amongst  the  other  literature  which  has  proven  of  interest, 
is  a  history  of  the  medical  work  of  this  Society  during  the 
-twenty  years,  entitled  “  Woman’s  Medical  Work  in  Foreign 
Lands.”  A  large  wall  map  on  cloth  of  our  missions  in  India, 
China  and  Japan,  was  prepared  by  a  member  of  the  Society ; 
a  large  edition  was  printed  and  has  been  sold. 

In  1885,  an  eight-paged  monthly  paper  was  begun  for  the 
use  of  German  members  of  this  Society,  called  “  Heiden 
Frauen  Freund”  also  edited  by  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  F.  Warren.  Of 
its  1,776  subscribers,  eighty  are  in  Germany,  and  57  in 
Switzerland.  Apart  from  all  the  foregoing  literature,  a  quar¬ 
terly  paper  is  issued  for  children,  called  “  Children’s  Leaflet.” 

An  illustrated  Christian  paper  was  established  by  this  So¬ 
ciety  in  India,  in  the  year  1883,  called  The  Woman’ s  Friend. 
It  is  an  eight-paged  paper  published  fortnightly,  in  four  of 
the  leading  languages  of  the  country.  Thousands  of  women 
receive  it  in  their  homes.  Nothing  shows  more  clearly  the 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society.  2a 

advance  of  Christian  sentiment,  and  the  breaking  down  of 
prejudices  than  the  demand  among  these  women  for  this 
paper — women  who  a  few  years  ago  thought  it  impossible 
that  a  woman  should  learn  to  read.  It  is  estimated  that  not 
less  than  twenty-five  thousand  women  are  reached  by  this 
paper.  As  we  have  already  seen  it  has  an  endowment  of 
$25,000,  raised  for  the  purpose  by  this  Society. 

Christian  literature  is  also  being  prepared  in  nearly 
all  our  Mission  fields.  In  Japan,  the  life  of  Susanna  Wesley 
has  been  translated  by  one  of  our  missionaries.  In  India, 
much  miscellaneous  literature  is  being  provided  for  the 
women  of  our  native  churches. 


MEDICAL.  WORK. 

The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  has  the  honor  of  having  sent  to  the 
continent  of  Asia  the  first  regularly  graduated  medical 
woman.  The  development  of  this  important  adjunct  of  all 
missionary  work  during  twenty  years  has  been  nothing  short 
of  marvellous.  It  was  a  new  and  untried  department. 
Prejudices  were  to  be  met  at  home,  as  well  as  abroad. 
Eastern  women,  in  their  seclusion,  would  not  receive  help 
given  by  male  physicians  Thousands  of  deaths  occurred 


26 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


annually  from  want  of  proper  attention.  Our  missionaries  in 
India  plead  for  a  woman  physician,  saying :  “Such  a  one 
could  get  access  into  the  zenanas.”  To  inaugurate  and 
develop  such  a  responsible  work,  the  Society  was  exceedingly 
fortunate  in  securing  Miss  Clara  A.  Swain,  M.D.,  who  in  1869 
was  appointed  to  India.  She  sailed  Nov.  3,  1869,  and  ar¬ 
rived  in  Bareilly,  January,  1870.  She  was  warmly  received 
by  the  members  of  the  mission,  and  every  facility  was 
offered  her  for  pursuing  the  new  and  arduous  work.  She 
commenced  with  a  class  of  fourteen  girls  in  the  orphanage, 
and  in  two  weeks  after  she  arrived,  had  one  hundred  and 
eight  patients.  This  was  the  small  beginning;  a  seed  plant¬ 
ed,  which  has  grown  to  such  proportions  that  its  fruit  is 
seen  all  through  India  and  China.  So  eminently  successful 
was  this  branch  of  the  work,  that  other  medical  missionaries 
were  appointed,  and  now,  in  various  stations  in  India,  we 
have  medical  women,  hospitals  and  dispensaries;  and  in 
these  twenty  years,  thousands  of  patients  have  been  reached 
in  the  zenanas;  thousands  more  treated  in  the  dispensaries 
and  hospitals,  and  many  difficult  surgical  operations  have 
been  performed.  Multitudes  of  women  have  had  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  made  known  to  them  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  medical  woman.  The  prejudices  of  ages  have  given 
way,  and  confidence  has  been  won  by  the  quiet  and  lov¬ 
ing  ministrations  of  one  who  could  help  the  suffering. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


27 


At  first  it  was  a  cautious  experiment,  but  now  it  is  an  abso¬ 
lute  necessity.  Into  the  royal  palace,  aud  the  homes  of  the 
poor  has  the  medical  missionary  been  welcomed. 

The  property  in  Bareilly,  India,  owned  by  the  Society  for 
medical  work,  consisting  of  hospital,  home,  and  dispensary, 
was  the  gift  of  a  native  prince,  aud  was  valued  at  $15,000. 
The  original  buildings  were  altered  and  additions  made  suit¬ 
able  for  the  work,  and  they  became  the  first  of  their  kind  in 
all  India. 

Medical  work  has  been  established  inNaini  Tal,  Cawnpore, 
Lucknow,  and  in  Moradabad.  And  we  get  some  little  idea 
of  the  magnitude  of  it  when  we  read  in  the  India  reports  that 
400  patients  were  treated  in  the  zenanas  in  one  year ;  600 
another  year;  3,000  in  another;  and  that  17,000  women 
came  to  the  dispensary  one  year  for  treatment ;  21,030  another 
year;  23,000  another ;  and  so  on.  Of  the  twenty-five  medical 
missionaries  sent  out,  ten  have  gone  to  India. 

Miss  Dr.  Swain,  who  inaugurated  and  gave  fifteen  years 
to  this  work,  and  saw  it  develop  so  marvellously,  received  a 
call  to  what  has  proved  a  most  remarkable  opening  in  Raj- 
putana.  She  was  sent  for  to  visit  the  wife  of  the  Rajah  ol 
Khetri.  She  took  with  her  a  trained  native  Christian 
woman.  After  a  month,  the  Rajah  made  arrangements 
with  her  to  remain  permanently  as  physician  to  the  Court,  she 
consenting  to  do  so  provided  she  could  do  Christian  work, 


28 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


r 

establish  schools,  etc.  No  restrictions  were  placed  upon 
her,  and  the  Rajah  meets  all  the  expenses  incident  to  her 
work.  She  attends  the  women  of  the  palace,  teaches  them  the 
truths  of  Christianity,  sings  our  Christian  hymns,  and  in  this 
way  Christianity  is  planted  in  that  great  native  kingdom. 

The  work  in  China  was  commenced  in  1873,  by  Miss  L. 
Combes,  M.D.  In  Peking,  the  very  capital  of  this  old 
empire,  alone,  and  yet  not  alone,  she  started  influences 
which  have  broadened  and  deepened,  until  in  six  large  and 
important  centres,  our  medical  missionaries  are  at  work.  In 
1878,  Miss  Howard,  M.D.,  reached  Peking,  and  the  story  of 
her  call  to  Tientsin  to  attend  Lady  Li,  the  wife  of  the  Vice¬ 
roy,  is  as  familiar  as  it  is  thrilling.  In  Foochow,  Miss  Dr. 
Trask  was  the  first  to  open  medical  work.  For  ten  years 
she  devoted  herself  to  it,  and  made  it  a  great  power. 
So  wonderful  was  her  influence  over  the  people,  that 
when  she  appeared  on  the  street  the  natives  were  ready  to 
fall  down  and  worship  her.  So  greatly  has  this  work  devel¬ 
oped,  that  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  meet  the  demand. 
We  now  have  hospitals  and  dispensaries  in  Foochow, 
Tientsin,  Peking,  Chin  Kiang,  and  Nanking.  These  very 
buildings  on  heathen  ground,  are  great  object  lessons,  teach¬ 
ing  the  natives  Christian  love  and  sympathy. 

Thirteen  American  medical  Missionaries  have  been  sent  to 
China,  but  at  present  there  are  only  five  at  work.  Miss  Dr. 


WOMAN'S  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 


29 


Terry  during  the  past  year  was  called  professionally  into 
Mongolia— into  that  great  country,  where  there  is  but  one 
missionary.  Here  she  dispensed  medicines,  and  talked  of 
Christ  to  the  people. 

The  training  of  native  medical  students,  both  in  China  and 
India,  has  been  a  marked  feature  of  the  work.  The  intense 
prejudices  of  China,  strengthened  through  centuries,  gave  way 
so  far  as  to  allow  a  native  Chinese  girl,  a  graduate  of  the 
Foochow  school,  to  be  sent  to  this  country  for  general  and 
medical  education,  to  qualify  her  for  usefulness  in  her  own 
land. 

The  indirect  influence  of  this  work  has  also  been  very  marked. 
In  India,  native  gentlemen  have  contributed  large  amounts 
of  money  to  build  hospitals  and  dispensaries  for  women.  A 
native  princess  in  Calcutta  made  a  donation  of  $30,000  to  the 
English  Government  for  the  purpose  of  eudowiug  a  hospital 
for  women  of  Bengal.  One  of  the  direct  outgrowths  of 
medical  missionary  work,  is  the  movement  which  has  been 
made  by  Lady  Duffer  in  to  establish  medical  work  for  the  wo¬ 
men  of  India.  During  her  residence  in  that  country,  she  saw 
the  great  necessity  for  medical  aid  for  women,  and  formed  a 
National  Association  for  supplying  female  medical  aid  to  the 
women  of  India.  The  Society  has  its  Branches  all  over  the 
country.  It  proposes  to  give  medical  tuition  to  female  stu¬ 
dents,  medical  attention  to  female  patients,  and  to  supply 


30 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


trained  nurses.  There  are  hospitals  where  these  nurses  are 
trained,  colleges  where  a  full  medical  course  is  given  in  the 
vernacular,  and  degrees  given  to  those  who  acquire  the  course 
in  English.  So  favorable  has  been  the  sentiment,  that  Lady 
Dufferin,  leaving  Calcutta  a  few  weeks  since,  held  a  recep¬ 
tion,  which  was  attended  by  seven  hundred  native  ladies  of 
the  city.  These  ladies  broke  through  all  the  prejudices  of 
the  past,  and  showed  their  appreciation  of  the  work  done  in 
securing  medical  help  for  the  ladies  and  girls  in  India.  So 
far  only  Christian  girls,  and  most  of  them  educated  in 
our  own  schools,  were  found  prepared  to  avail  themsel\es  of 
the  help  offered  by  this  fund.  The  Society  has  received 
handsome  donations  from  native  gentlemen. 

In  the  city  of  Agra,  India,  a  medical  school  has  been  estab¬ 
lished,  with  classes  for  women.  A  Hindoo  widow,  trained 
in  our  Moradabad  school,  passed  her  examination  for  this 
college,  and  stood  first  in  her  class.  The  natives  of  India 
have  become  so  impressed  with  this  medical  work  that  a 
Brahman  woman,  the  first  of  her  class,  came  to  America  to 
procure  a  medical  education.  These  facts  are  but  indicative 
of  the  marvellous  change  in  sentiment.  Only  twenty  years 
have  passed,  and  no  eloquence  of  rhetoric  is  needed  in  the 
presence  of  such  results,  which  have  been  largely  brought 
about  by  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


31 


Other  denominations,  both  in  England  and  America,  have 
their  medical  missionaries  on  the  field,  and  no  more  power¬ 
ful  agency  is  at  work  to-day  in  the  home,  than  the  Chiistian 
medical  woman.  Dr.  Elmslie  writes :  “India  needs  female 
medical  missionaries ;  India  will  welcome  them;  India  will 
bless  them  for  their  work,  and  many  homes  now  dark  will 
be  lighted  up  through  their  labors.”  What  is  true  ol  India, 
is  also  true  of  China. 

Japan  and  Korea  have  both  opened  their  doors  to  welcome 
the  medical  woman. 


OUR  MISSIONARIES. 

It  was  a  difficult  matter  twenty  years  ago  to  find  two 
women  ready  and  willing  to  undertake  missionary  work. 
Heathenism  seemed  a  fortress  to  human  sight  well-nigh  im¬ 
pregnable,  and  many  thought  it  foolishness  that  young, 
inexperienced  women  should  dare  assail  these  strongholds  ol 
evil.  But  into  the  darkness  they  went,  with  the  W  ord  in 
their  hands,  and  on  their  lips,  and  Christ’s  love  in  their 
hearts,  to  proclaim  a  full  and  free  salvation  to  women. 

They  went  from  homes  of  refinement,  from  Christian  asso¬ 
ciations,  to  lands  of  strange  languages  and  customs,  and 
among  people  of  intense  prejudices.  They  went  to  face  and 


32 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  TI1K 


combat  some  of  the  most  stupendous  problems  of  the  age, 
such  as  heathen  systems  of  religions,  the  oppression  of 
women,  caste,  infant  marriages,  etc.  They  must  be  as  ‘'wise 
as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.” 

It  may  seem  to  some  that  the  work  of  a  lady  missionary 
is  very  humble,  unostentatious  in  its  methods,  and  monoto¬ 
nous  in  its  daily  routine.  But  it  has  all  variety.  She  is 
called  to  almost  every  service.  Unaided  and  alone,  she  has 
opened  work  in  stations,  often  selecting  the  land  for  a 
home,  planning  a  school  building,  superintending  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  it,  translated  books,  made  beef  tea  for  the  sick,  given 
practical  lessons  in  housekeeping,  had  the  care  of  a  mother 
in  providing  food  and  clothing  for  her  pupils,  done  her  own 
teaching,  led  prayer  and  class-meeting,  played  the  organ,  if 
she  had  one,  trained  native  women  for  Christian  work,  made 
itinerating  trips,  spoken  in  towii  and  village  to  the  women, 
kept  the  financial  accounts  of  the  Society,  held  services  in 
chapels,  administered  to  the  sick,  compounded  medicine,  sung 
our  hymns,  read  the  Bible,  prayed  with  the  sorrowing,  com¬ 
forted  the  dying,  and  in  some  instances,  has  conducted  funeral 
services. 

In  this  silent  work  of  conquest,  she  does  not  get  discour¬ 
aged.  In  twenty  years  the  Society  has  sent  out  151  of  these 
workers.  Every  missionary  thus  sent  has  awakened  in  her 
home,  city,  village,  Conference,  State,  aud  Branch,  a  personal 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society.  33 

interest  in  the  work  for  heathen  women.  The  interest  has 
been  deepened  by  her  letters  and  reports.  Those  who  have 
returned  have  given  a  more  intelligent  idea  of  the  vastness 
of  the  work  in  which  they  have  been  engaged.  Of  the  151 
sent  to  the  field  in  these  years,  three  have  retired.  One  was 
called  to  undertake  a  very  important  work  with  large  oppor¬ 
tunities  for  usefulness,  in  the  territory  of  a  native  prince. 
Twenty-six  have  married  and  ten  are  home,  uncertain  as  to 
retiring.  Some  of  those  married  have  remained  in  the  work, 
while  ninety-two  are  in  the  foreign  field,  and  nine  at  home  on 
health  furlough,  hoping  soon  to  return,  and  ten  have  died. 

Miss  Buddencame  from  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and 
has  charge  of  the  Home  for  Homeless  Women,  in  the  hills  of 
India.  Miss  Phoebe  Kowe  was  converted  through  the 
influence  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and 
was  a  student  in  the  Lucknow  school.  She  is  now  in  charge 
of  work  as  a  full  missionary.  Miss  Guelfi  was  a  talented, 
consecrated  lady  of  South  America,  who  also  did  full  work 
as  a  missionary.  Miss  Blackmore,  who  has  the  Society’s 
work  in  Singapore,  came  to  us  from  Australia. 


The  Society  has  not  been  without  its  shadows  in  these 
twenty  years,  for  ten  of  its  workers  have  passed  on  beyond. 
The  band  of  laborers  sent  out  was  unbroken  for  nine  years, 


34 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


until  May  18,  1878,  when  Miss  L.  Campbell  fell  at  her  chosen 
work,  in  Peking.  While  the  General  Executive  Committee 
was  doing  its  work  at  its  ninth  session  in  Boston,  she  was 
struggling  with  disease,  and  before  the  Committee  adjourned 
she  passed  to  her  reward,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  English 
burying  ground  in  the  capital  of  the  Chinese  Empire. 

September  30th  the  same  year,  Mrs.  Cheney,  nee  Miss  L. 
Green,  M.  D.,  our  medical  missionary  in  Bareilly,  was  sud¬ 
denly  called  away  by  an  attack  of  cholera,  and,  with  many 
other  missionaries,  was  buried  in  the  beautiful  Naini  Tal 
cemetery,  far  up  among  the  Himalaya  mountains.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  a  Methodist  minister,  and  her  heart  was 
consecrated  to  the  work. 

The  following  year,  Miss  Susan  B.  Higgins,  who  had  been 
permitted  to  work  but  a  few  months  in  Japan,  was  called, 
and  died  most  triumphantly  July  3d,  1879.  A  daughter  of  a 
Methodist  minister,  she  seemed  unusually  qualified  for  her 
position.  She  sleeps  in  the  cemetery  at  Yokohama,  and  her 
memory  is  as  “ointment  poured  forth.” 

Miss  Emma  Michener,  who  loved  Africa,  gave  her  life 
to  help  its  people,  suffered,  and  died  Dec.  11th,  1881,  on 
board  an  English  steamer,  and  was  carried  to  Monrovia,  and 
laid  away  in  the  historic  burying  ground,  beside  the  immor¬ 
tal  Cox. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


35 


Miss  Dr.  Gilchrist,  who  went  to  China,  remained  only  a 
short  time,  was  seized  with  consumption,  and  came  home 
and  died,  April  23,  1884. 

Miss  Beulah  Woolston,  who  had  spent  twenty -five  years 
in  China,  worked  with  a  superhuman  patience,  and  breathed 
her  life  into  the  women  and  girls  with  whom  she  was  associ¬ 
ated,  came  home  for  rest,  and  the  weary  wheels  ceased  to 
move  October  24th,  1886.  She  led  the  van  of  Methodist 
women  in  the  East,  and  her  influence  goes  on,  multiplying  in 
power  through  time  and  eternity.  In  New  Jersey,  her  native 
state,  she  awaits  the  resurrection  morn. 

Miss  Guelfi,  whom  not  having  seen,  we  loved  for  her  work’s 
sake  and  devotion  to  her  Master,  died  in  1886,  and  was 
buried  in  Montevideo,  South  America. 

Miss  H.  Kerr,  did  efficient  work  in  India,  came  home,  and 
after  long  months  of  suffering,  died  Dec.  11th,  1886,  at  her 
home,  Ann  Arbor,  Mich. 

Miss  H.  Woolston,  M.D.,  who  spent  several  years  in 
medical  work  in  Moradabad,  came  home  and  after  weeks  of 
suffering,  went  to  her  reward. 

Miss  Florence  Nickerson,  went  to  India  in  1880,  worked 
with  intense  devotion,  and  was  compelled  to  leave,  that  the 
change  of  climate  and  needed  rest  might  restore  her.  But 
God  ordered  otherwise,  and  she  died  on  an  English  steamer, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Gulf  of  Aden,  January  31st,  1887. 


36 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


Japan,  China,  Africa,  India,  South  America,  hold  our  dead, 
and  now  the  ever  restless  sea,  enfolding  the  remains  of  one 
of  the  most  faithful,  sends  back  from  its  restless  waters  a 
call  that  others  may  be  borne  onward,  to  fill  up  the  vacant 
ranks. 


YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

Not  until  1879  is  there  a  record  of  Mission  Bands  as  sep¬ 
arate  organizations.  Since  then,  the  development  of  a  mis¬ 
sionary  spirit  among  the  young  ladies  and  children  has  been 
a  very  marked  feature  of  the  work.  Some  one  has  said* 
“Brand  ‘Love  for  Heathen’  on  a  child’s  heart,  and  it  can  never 
be  effaced  ”  The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  in  all 
these  years,  has  been  making  an  effort  to  win  the  children  to 
love  and  care  for  heathen  children. 

In  many  places  the  young  ladies  are  associated  with  exist¬ 
ing  Auxiliaries,  but  more  frequently  have  separate  organiza¬ 
tions  been  formed,  and  thus  have  the  sympathies  of  hundreds 
of  young  hearts  been  secured.  These  young  girls  have  joined 
hand  and  heart  in  the  good  cause.  The  work  done  has  been 
educational,  the  results  of  which  cannot  be  calculated.  They 
have  learned  to  conduct  their  business  with  intelligence  and 
skill,  many  have  been  led  into  a  deeper  spiritual  life  through 
their  connection  with,  and  planning  for  the  work.  These 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society.  37 

are  as  “corner  stones,  polished  after  the  similitude  of  a 
palace  ”  in  the  superstructure  of  the  Society. 

Some  of  these  Young  Ladies’  Societies  have  assumed  special 
work.  In  one  Branch,  they  assumed  the  entire  support  of  a 
missionary;  in  another, one-fifth  of  the  whole  amount  con¬ 
tributed  was  by  their  efforts.  Not  only  in  churches,  but  in 
schools  and  colleges,  have  Auxiliaries  been  formed,  and  not 
only  talents,  gifts,  and  zeal  laid  upon  the  altar,  but  some  of 
the  students  have  consecrated  themselves  as  living  sacrifices 
to  the  work,  and  are  now  in  the  foreign  field. 

The  younger  children  also  have  been  trained  in  intelligent 
methods.  Many  of  them  are  as  familiar  with  the  names  of 
our  missionaries,  and  their  stations,  as  most  of  the  older 
members.  Mite  Boxes  have  been  distributed  among  them, 
and  they  have  learned  not  only  to  save  their  money,  but  to 
earn  it  for  the  great  cause.  The  “Busy  Bees,”  “Earnest 
Workers,”  “Buds  of  Promise,”  “Helping  Hands,”  “Willing 
Workers,”  are  to  be  found  everywhere,  and  these  are  not 
only  doing  a  work  for  themselves,  but  helping  the  childhood 
of  the  heathen  world  to  know  something  of  God.  The 
Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  has  been  wise  in  train¬ 
ing  and  moulding  the  character  of  the  children,  in  the  most 
receptive  and  formative  period  of  their  being.  Only  ten 
years  has  this  been  a  feature  of  the  work,  and  now  there  are 
408  Young  Ladies’ Societies,  with  6,689  members;  and  777 
Children’s  Bands,  with  11,218  members. 


38 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


FINANCES. 

“  Two  cents  a  week  and  a  prayer  ” 

A  tiny  gift,  may  be : 

But  it  helps  to  do  a  wonderful  work 
For  our  sisters  across  the  sea. 

Every  woman  in  the  Methodist  Church  can  give  “two  cents 
a  week,”  was  the  sentiment  of  those  who  organized  the 
Society.  No  wiser  arrangement  could  have  been  made.  The 
Society  was  not  to  ask  for  public  collections,  or  for  large 
contributions,  but  to  glean  in  the  fields  after  other  reapers. 

Bishop  Simpson,  in  an  address  in  a  public  meeting  of  the 
New  York  Branch,  in  the  early  days,  said  :  “If  you  will  ad¬ 
here  to  the  plan  of  arranging  for  a  small  weekly  contribution 
from  every  woman,  you  can  raise  an  amount  of  money  the 
church  never  raised  before,  for  missionary  purposes.”  Ob¬ 
serving  this  method,  the  contributions  have  increased  from 
four  thousand  dollars  the  first  year,  to  two  hundred  and  six 
thousand  in  1888.  The  entire  amount  in  the  twenty  years 
has  reached  nearly  two  millions  of  dollars.  The  annual 
increase  can  be  studied  in  the  financial  table  at  the  close  of 
this  paragraph.  The  entire  missionary  collections  go  directly 
to  the  foreign  field.  There  are  no  salaries,  no  clerk- hire,  no 
rent  of  rooms.  If  money  is  needed  for  some  emergency,  a 
special  collection  is  made.  These  results  have  not  been 
brought  about  without  the  most  earnest  work  and  devotion 
of  persons  connected  with  the  Society.  The  Corresponding 


WOMAN^  foreign  missionary  society. 


39 


Secretaries,  some  of  whom  have  been  at  work  all  these  years, 
have  given  of  their  time  and  means,  have  planned  and  ex¬ 
ecuted,  have  sacrificed  their  comfort  in  all  weather,  to  go  out 
from  their  homes  to  encourage  Societies  by  a  word,  or  in¬ 
spire  them  by  their  own  devotion.  This  spirit  has  been 
communicated  throughout  the  organization.  Conference 
and  District  secretaries,  and  officers  of  Auxiliaries,  have  all 
contributed  to  these  results. 

From  the  beginning  to  the  present  date,  with  the  collec¬ 
tion  and  disbursement  of  nearly  two  millions  of  dollars,  and 
the  administration  and  development  of  work  at  home  and 
abroad,  the  Society  has  been  able  to  accomplish  all  on  the 
basis  of  unpaid,  voluntary  labor.  Love  has  been  the  con¬ 
trolling  motive.  The  task  of  judiciously  disbursing  from 
one  to  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  annually,  has  been  no 
small  work.  Money  collected  for  missionary  purposes  needs 
to  be  carefully  and  wisely  appropriated,  and  their  wisdom 
and  judgment  in  all  these  years  has  been  most  warmly  com¬ 
mended.  Patiently  and  prayerfully  each  year,  as  they  come 
up  to  the  General  Executive  Committee,  day  after  day,  and 
often  far  into  the  night  do  they  study  and  plan  how  they  may 
strengthen  and  extend  the  work  on  the  amount  of  money 
raised.  In  all  these  years  no  debt  has  been  incurred,  nor  has 
a  Branch  ever  failed  to  meet  its  appropriation. 


40 


TWENTY  YEAR8  OF  THE 


There  have  been  in  these  years  some  special  thank-offerings 
and  some  Christmas  offerings.  Mite  Boxes  and  Consecrated 
Banks  have  been  distributed  in  the  homes,  reminding  many 
a  thoughtless  woman  of  multiplied  mercies,  and  “benefits  at  a 
cent  apiece.”  Some  have  given  of  their  abundance,  many  of 
their  poverty.  Young  girls  and  children  have  helped  by  their 
consecrated  giving  to  educate  and  Christianize  the  girls  of 
heathendom. 


1st  year,  No.  of  Auxiliaries  100,  Am’t  money  raised  $  4,546  86 


2d  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

614 

4  4 

4  4  * 

22,397  99 

3d  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

1,083 

4  4 

4  4 

44,477  46 

4th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

1,061 

4  4 

4  4 

54,834  87 

5th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

1,839 

4  4 

4  4 

64,309  25 

6th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,039 

4  4 

44 

61,492  19 

7  th  “ 

44 

4  4 

1,952 

4  4 

4  4 

55,276  06 

8th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,196 

44 

4  4 

72,464  30 

9th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,302 

4  4 

4  4 

68,063  52 

10th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,172 

4  4 

4  4 

66,843  69 

11th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,291 

4  4 

44 

76,276  43 

12th  “ 

4  4 

4  4 

2,578 

4  4 

4  4 

107,932  45 

13th  “ 

18  mos. 

4  4 

4,093 

44 

44 

195,678  50 

14th  “ 

4  4 

3,379 

44 

4  4 

126,823  33 

15  th  “ 

4  4 

3,664 

4  4 

4  4 

143,199  14 

16th  “ 

44 

3,760 

4  4 

44 

157,442  66 

17th  “ 

4  4 

3,961 

4  4 

4  4 

167,098  85 

18th  “ 

44 

4,383 

4  4 

44 

191,158  13 

19th  “ 

4  4 

5,499 

4  4 

44 

206,308  69 

Total,  since  organization,  $1,886,624  37 


WOMAN’S  foreign  missionary  society. 


41 


SPECIAL  DONATIONS  AND  BEQUESTS. 

Rarely  has  a  cause  been  sanctified  by  offerings  represent¬ 
ing  more  of  sacrifice  and  devotion,  than  in  some  of  these 
special  gifts  to  the  treasury.  Gifts  have  been  brought,  hal¬ 
lowed  by  the  touch  of  those  whom  God  has  taken  from 
hearts  left  desolate.  Memorial  buildings  have  been  erected, 
and  orphans  supported,  in  memory  of  the  loved.  These 
have  been  baptized  with  affection  and  prayer,  and  we  find 
here  some  of  the  secrets  of  the  success,  under  ’God,  of  the 
Society’s  work.  “These  have  come  up  for  a  memorial.” 

Among  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first  donation  made  for 
specific  work,  was  that  from  a  native  prince  in  India,  of 
property  valued  at  about  $15,000,  for  woman’s  medical 
work,  in  the  city  of  Bareilly. 

Li  Hung  Chang,  viceroy  of  China,  requested  the  services 
of  one  of  the  medical  ladies  of  the  Society,  in  behalf  of 
his  aged  mother,  and  although  the  woman  died  without 
accepting  Christianity,  she  contributed  one  thousand  dollars 
for  the  medical  work. 

Above  and  beyond  the  income  of  the  Society,  twenty -five 
thousand  dollars  have  been  raised  for  the  endowment  of  the 
zenana  paper  in  India,  five  thousand  of  which  was  contrib¬ 
uted  by  Mrs.  E.  Sleeper  Davis  of  Boston,  one  thousand  by  a 
gentleman  in  Baltimore,  and  two  thousand  by  a  lady  in  Penn¬ 
sylvania. 


42 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


Mrs.  Dr.  (now  Mrs.  Bishop)  Newman,  donated  $2,000  for 
building  a  “Home  for  Homeless  Women,”  in  Northern  India; 
Mrs.  Dr.  Goucher,  of  Baltimore,  $5,000  for  building  the 
“Isabella  Fisher  Hospital”  in  Tientsin,  China;  Mrs.  C.  A. 
Wright,  of  New  York,  $1,800  for  building  a  memorial  school 
in  Hakodati,  Japan. 

From  Mrs.  D.  C.  Schofield,  of  Elgin,  Ill.,  came  $7,000,  of 
which  $3,000  was  given  to  a  medical  educational  fund,  and 
$1,000  each  for  orphanages  •  in  Japan,  China,  India,  and 
Mexico.  From  Mr.  Philander  Smith,  $5,000  for  the  general 
work  of  the  Society.  In  one  Branch  we  find  miscellaneous 
donations  and  bequests  amounting  to  about  fifteen  .thousand 
dollars.  Mrs.  Bertha  Sigler,  of  Iowa,  gave  $3,000  to  build 
a  school  in  Budaon,  which  is  called  the  “Sigler  Memorial 
School;”  Mrs.  J.  T.  Harrison,  of  Minneapolis,  $5,000  for  an 
Industrial  Home  in  Tokyo,  Japan.  One  Branch  by  special 
contributions  purchased  the  “Higgins’  Memorial  Home,”  in 
Yokohama,  Japan. 

Another  Branch  placed  a  memorial  stone  over  the  grave  of 
Miss  Michener,  in  Monrovia,  Africa. .  The  Society  at  large 
has  met  the  expense  incurred  in  removing  the  remains  of 
Mrs.  Ann  Wilkins  from  Newburg,  N.Y.,  to  Maple  Grove 
cemetery,  L.  I.  Some  donations  have  been  made,  with  ref¬ 
erence  to  opening  new  work.  Mrs.  F.  C.  De  Pauw,  of  New 
Albany,  Ind.,  gave  $1,000  for  commencing  our  woman’s 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


43 


work  in  Japan;  Mrs.  Philander  Smith,  of  Oak  Park,  Ill., 
$4,000  to  open  work  and  build  a  home  in  Nanking,  China ; 
Mrs.  Mary  C.  Nind,  $3,000  for  opening  work  and  sending  a 
missionary  to  Singapore.  Mr.  Wm,  E.  Blackstone,  of  Oak 
Park,  Ill.,  donated  $3,000  as  a  memorial  of  his  mother,  for 
a  “Deaconess  Home”  in  Muttra,  India,  while  Mrs.  Black- 
stone  gave  $3,000  for  building  a  Home  in  Korea ;  Mrs.  Slater, 
of  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  contributed  for  the  school  in  Naini  Tal, 
which  is  called  Slater  Hall.  A  gentleman  in  Bombay,  con¬ 
tributed  $1,000,  for  the  work  in  that  city. 

One  or  two  other  items  deserve  special  mention.  Miss 
Michener  not  only  gave  her  life  to  Africa,  but  left  her  entire 
effects  to  the  Philadelphia  Branch,  and  $431.06  was  received 
by  the  treasurer  from  this  bequest. 

Another,  a  Chinese  girl,  whose  last  thoughts  went  out  to 
Christian  friends  in  America,  to  whom  she  owed  so  much  for 
Christian  training,  when  dying,  sent  as  a  legacy  her  little 
store  of  cherished  “cash,”  to  be  given  to  the  Society  through 
whose  agency  she  had  been  saved.  Was  it  the  first  legacy 
left  in  the  Chinese  Empire  to  the  cause  of  Christ? 

These  gifts  have  imparted  fragrance  to  the  whole  work.  He 
who  “sat  over  against  the  treasury”  in  the  Jewish  temple, 
has  been  keeping  the  record. 


44 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


FOREIGN  AUXILIARIES. 

As  early  as  1871  Missionary  Societies  were  organized  in 
India,  among  the  girls  in  the  orphanage,  and  the  native 
Christian  women.  As  soon  as  these  were  brought  into  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  they  were  taught  they  must  do 
something  for  others,  that  their  hands  must  reach  out  to 
help  those  in  their  midst  less  favored,  and  so  it  was  esteemed 
a  privilege  to  give  part  of  their  little  earnings  to  aid  others. 
Indeed  some  thought  it  a  great  humiliation  if  they  had  noth¬ 
ing  for  the  treasurer,  at  the  regular  monthly  meeting.  In 
the  native  church,  organized  at  Moradabad,  every  woman 
was  a  member.  The  officers  of  these  meetings  were  selected 
from  their  own  numbers,  their  minutes  kept  and  read  in  the 
native  language,  and  essays  written  upon  subjects  given 
them  by  the  missionary.  This  education  had  its  practical 
bearing.  Some  of  the  women  requested  that  the  villages 
surrounding  Moradabad  be  formed  into  a  circuit,  and  every 
afternoon  certain  of  their  number  be  appointed  to  visit, 
sing,  and  talk  with  the  women.  As  many  as  twenty-five  have 
gone  out  in  a  day  to  do  this  work,  in  companies  of  twos 
and  threes.  As  missionary  work  developed,  these  Societies 
were  organized  at  various  points ;  and  in  the  report  of 
woman’s  work  in  India  seventeen  organizations  are  reported, 
contributing  about  $200.00,  this  past  year. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


45 


It  is  interesting  to  note  what  disposition  was  made  of 
much  of  this  money.  Some  was  appropriated  for  helping  a 
school  among  the  sweeper  caste;  one  sent  ten  dollars  to 
the  boarding  school  for  Christian  girls  ;  another  hired  a  con¬ 
veyance  to  take  a  teacher  to  her  school ;  another  helped  send 

» 

a  Bible  woman  to  District  Conference  and  Camp  Meeting;  a 
donation  was  sent  to  the  “  Home  for  Friendless  Women,”  in 
Lucknow ;  another  supported  a  girl  in  school ;  and  another 
sent  something  to  help  ‘ 4  The  Woman's  Friend  while  others 
gave  to  the  general  missionary  collection.  Some,  too  poor 
to  give  money,  gave  work. 

Japan.  An  Auxiliary  was  organized  in  the  school  in 
Tokyo,  in  March,  1887.  The  girls  show  great  interest,  and 
the  meetings  are  generally  attended  by  the  entire  school, 
whether  members  or  not.  Last  year  the  sum  of  twenty-five 
dollars  was  contributed  for  the  support  of  a  Bible  reader  in 
Yokohama. 

An  Auxiliary,  with  thirty  members,  pledging  the  support 
of  one  scholarship  in  the  training  school,  is  organized  in 
Yokohama,  and  the  women  are  praying  that  the  time  may 
soon  come,  when,  in  every  church  in  Japan,  there  shall  be 
an  Auxiliary  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

In  Fukuoka,  every  woman  in  the  church  is  a  member  of 
the  Auxiliary,  and  twenty  dollars  collected  by  them  was  sent 
home  to  the  New  York  Branch;  a  flourishing  Society  is 


46 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


sustained  also  in  Nagasaki  and  Hakodati;  aud  comprehend¬ 
ing  the  true  missionary  spirit,  the  girls  in  the  Nagasaki 
school  not  only  give  their  offerings,  but  one  or  two  offered 
themselves,  to  help  open  work  in  Korea. 

In  Peking,  China,  early  in  the  history  of  the  Society,  an 
Auxiliary  was  organized,  which  contributed  forty  dollars  to 
help  an  interesting  woman  who  travelled  several  hundreds 
of  miles,  to  get  instructions  in  Christianity. 

In  Bulgaria,  Mexico,  Germany,  aud  Switzerland,  are  found 
organizations.  The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  girdles  the  globe.  “  So  we  being 
many,  are  one  body  in  Christ.” 

TRAINING  SCHOOLS. 

Possibly  no  more  important  work  has  been  done  by  the 
Society  in  these  years,  than  the  training  of  native  Christian 
women  for  Bible  women  and  teachers.  Mothers’  meetings, 
class  and  prayer  meetings,  and  sometimes  day  schools,  are 
kept  up  for  them.  Many  of  them  are  required  to  pass  a  pre¬ 
scribed  course  of  study,  and  committees  for  examinations 
are  arrauged  for  in  the  different  districts.  Their  training 
has  reference  to  Christian  doctrine,  experience,  living,  and 
methods  of  work.  These  women  then  go  out  to  the  villages, 
aud  are  able  to  enter  the  homes,  and  become  most  important 
factors  in  helping  to  Christianize  the  women. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


47 


And  not  only  to  the  homes  do  they  go,  but  to  public  gather¬ 
ings,  to  the  bathing  places,  and  wherever  they  can  reach  a 
soul  with  song,  or  word  of  Christian  cheer.  Some  of  these 
are  to  be  found  in  company  often  with  the  missionary  in  the 
Jinrikisha  of  Japan,  the  Palanquin  of  India,  the  Sedan  chair 
of  China,  going  over  mountains  and  valleys,  and  through 
crowded  city,  in  sunshine  and  in  rain,  to  tell  of  Christ,  carry¬ 
ing  in  their  own  changed  lives  an  example  of  his  transforming 
power.  One  woman  in  China,  giving  her  report,  said  :  “I 
have  presented  the  gospel  this  year  to  seventeen  hundred 
women.” 

In  Bulgaria,  one  of  our  girls  thus  trained  goes  from  town 
to  town,  through  all  weather,  on  evangelistic  tours,  and 
the  missionary  writes:  “She  is  eminently  fitted  to  work 
among  all  classes.  Really  she  is  a  better  preacher  than  any 
man  in  the  mission.”  A  woman,  from  one  of  our  training 
schools  in  China,  returned  to  her  home,  but  for  some  years 
she  had  no  communion  with  Christians,  and  no  one  seemed 
to  know  whether  she  was  dead  or  living.  A  native,  making 
inquiries  at  her  village,  was  surprised  to  find  that  during  the 
intervening  years,  that  woman,  alone,  had  been  striving, 
amidst  heathenism,  to  live  up  to  the  faith  she  had  professed, 
and  to  keep  the  Sabbath.  Her  Christian  life  had  influenced 
others,  so  that  a  church  with  eleven  probationers  was  started 
in  her  village. 


48 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


Another,  trained  in  Japan,  goes  out  on  itinerating  tours. 
Often,  after  she  addresses  an  audience,  many  follow  her  to 
her  stopping  place  to  inquire  more  deeply  into  the  truths  of 
the  Christian  religion.  In  one  town  where  Buddhism  had  a 
strong  hold,  nine  persons  from  influential  families  have  ac¬ 
cepted  her  teachings.  Thus  in  all  our  Mission  fields,  even  in 
Korea,  our  last  organized  effort,  these  women  are  becoming 
a  great  power. 


NATIVE  WOMEN’S  CONFERENCES. 

It  is  a  wonderful  story,  that  twenty  years  ago  a  very  few 
women  in  our  missions  could  be  found  to  read,  but  now 
there  are  regularly  organized  conferences  in  many  of  our 
Mission  fields  for  the  women. 

In  1886,  a  woman’s  conference  was  held  in  Foochow, 
China,  composed  of  those  native  women  who  had  been  trained 
by  our  mission.  These  were  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the 
work,  to  be  examined  and  instructed  as  Bible  women  and 
teachers,  and  for  a  general  discussion  of  methods,  exchange 
of  views,  and  a  deepening  of  Christian  experience.  This  was 
something  new.  At  the  conference,  a  Chinese  brother  prayed 
for  this  woman’s  conference,  as  one  of  the  most  wonderful 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


49 


events,  stranger  to  the  Chinese  than  the  electric  telegraph. 
“  This,”  he  said,  “  is  wonderful,  and  we  never  thought  to  see 
it  here ;  but  last  year  the  telegraph  came,  and  this  year,  the 
woman’s  conference !  ” 

At  the  last  session  of  this  conference  the  women  came  up, 
to  read  carefully  prepared  papers  on  such  subjects  as,  “  The 
importance  of  the  Holy  Spirit’s  aid  in  preparing  for  work.” 
“Can  Christian  women  be  admitted  to  schools?”  “The 
importance  of  attending  prayer  meetings.”  If,  as  Sia  Sek 
Ong  of  China,  says,  “the  conversion  and  Christian  train¬ 
ing  of  one  Chinese  woman  is  of  more  value  for  God’s  work 
than  of  twenty  men,”  then,  indeed,  does  this  conference  show 
that  a  remarkable  work  has  been  done  in  China. 

At  one  of  these  Conferences  in  Japan  last  year,  with  Bishop 
Fowler  presiding,  a  Japanese  woman  interpreted,  another 
read  the  scripture,  and  another  prayed.  Here  they  have  a 
four  years’  course  of  study,  and  the  graduates  of  the  regular 
course  are  recommended  as  Deaconesses. 

In  India  these  Conferences  have  been  a  great  power.  Re¬ 
cently,  in  the  City  of  Lucknow,  a  camp  meeting  and  district 
conference  were  held.  One  day  the  missionaries’  wives,  the 
Zenana  Missionary,  and  a  host  of  Bible  women  and  teachers 
held  a  separate  conference  with  examinations,  essays  and 
religious  services.  Twenty  years  ago  such  a  religious 


50 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


gathering  in  that  great  Mohammedan  City  would  have  been 
thought  an  idle  dream,  but  the  reality  was  a  congregation  of 
six  hundred  Methodists. 


CONTRASTS. 

We  note  the  following  incident  as  an  index  of  contrasts  in 
our  own  history.  In  1822,  at  a  missionary  meeting  held  in 
Georgetown,  D.C.,  the  Rev.  George  Raszell  was  considered 
visionary,  when  he  said  :  “I  believe  the  time  will  come  when 
the  Baltimore  Conference  alone  will  give  in  a  single  year 
one  thousand  dollars  to  the  missionary  cause.”  Last  year 
the  Baltimore  Branch  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  the  smallest  Branch  in  territory,  covering  much  less 
territory  than  the  Baltimore  Conference  did  in  those  days, 
raised  over  nine  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars. 

Twenty  years  ago  the  women  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  had  but  one  school  as  their  distinct  work.  Now 
they  have  about  250  of  all  kinds — day,  city,  village,  boarding, 
Sunday  schools  and  orphanages,  etc.  Then  they  had  but  two 
ladies  on  the  field ;  now  they  have  92.  Then  they  had  but 
one  medical  woman;  now  they  have  12  in  active  service. 

Then  with  difficulty  native  Bible  women  were  found; 
now  they  have  under  their  direction  over  300.  Then 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society.  51 

they  were  not  caring  for  an  orphan  in  any  heathen 
country ;  now  they  are  supporting  nearly  500.  Then 
they  had  no  real  estate,  save  a  small  investment  in 
Foochow;  now  they  own  $277,000  worth  of  property 
outside  of  the  United  States.  Then  they  had  no  missionary 
paper;  now  they  have  one  with  a  circulation  of  20,000,  a 
German  paper,  and  a  zenana  paper  published  in  India,  in  four 
editions.  Then  they  had  no  literature ;  now  they  scatter 
annually  thousands  of  pages  of  a  miscellaneous  character. 

Then  woman’s  medical  work  was  an  experiment;  now  it  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  efficient  agencies  for  reaching 
the  women  with  the  gospel.  Then  there  was  not  a  woman’s 
hospital  in  any  heathen  land ;  now  they  are  to  be  found  in 
Korea,  scattered  through  the  great  countries  of  China  and 
India. 

The  first  year  they  had  only  100  Auxiliary  Societies;  now 
they  have  over  5,000.  Then  there  was  but  a  small  company 
of  women  interested  ;  now  there  are  137,000  registered  work¬ 
ers.  The  first  year  they  collected  $4,000;  in  1888,  $206,000. 
Then  they  had  no  experience  in  the  selection  of  workers ; 
now  they  have  settled  rules  and  matured  judgment  in  select¬ 
ing  their  workers.  Then  they  started  in  one  field ;  now  there 
are  representatives  in  nine  different  countries.  Then  they 
had  no  worker  in  Burmah ;  neither  was  Malaysia  or  Korea 
dreamed  of.  Then  the  women  of  the  heathen  world  were 


52 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


scarcely  accessible;  now  they  are  everywhere  stretching  out 
their  hands  for  help,  and  our  missionaries  and  agents  can  go 
everywhere.  Then  the  home  workers  thought  it  impossible 
to  speak  except  to  very  select  and  small  audiences  of  women  ; 
now  they  are  everywhere  addressing  large  and  promiscuous 
audiences.  Then  the  Society  was  scarcely  recognized :  now 
committees  are  appointed  by  the  annual  conferences  and  reso¬ 
lutions  passed  by  the  members,  fully  endorsing  the  Society 
and  pledging  themselves  to  help  in  every  available  way ;  and 
a  column  is  to  be  found  in  the  conference  minutes  for  the  re¬ 
ceipts  of  the  Society.  The  first  year  $11,000  were  appropriated 
for  the  work;  now  $228,000;  and  to  one  mission  field  alone, 
over  $70,000.  Then  a  few  lines  of  the  Report  were  given  to 
the  details  of  the  home  work  in  hand;  and  now  a  volume  of 
150  pages,  gives  but  a  bare  outline.  Then  the  foreign  work 
was  represented  in  a  column  or  two  of  “The  Heathen  Wo¬ 
man’s  Friend” ;  now  India,  alone,  prints  a  report  of  woman’s 
work  of  a  hundred  pages,  and  Japan  prints  one  of  fifty,  and 
China,  one  of  twenty  pages. 

In  Moradabad,  for  years  after  the  establishment  of  the 
mission,  there  was  not  a  house  in  the  city  where  they  could 
go  to  visit  the  women  in  any  capacity  :  now  they  are  welcome 
everywhere.  At  the  beginning  of  this  Society’s  work,  only  a 
few  women  could  be  seen  in  even  the  congregations  in  the 
church,  and  these  generally  attached  in  some  way  to  the 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


53 


mission.  Now,  numbers  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  all  the 
congregations. 


RESULTS. 

We  canuot  summarize  the  results  of  all  this  work  on  the 
activity,  the  spirituality,  and  the  efficiency  of  the  home  church. 
How,  then,  may  we  estimate  the  results  abroad?  All  the 
classes  of  work  conducted  by  the  Society  have  started  new 
ideas,  and  aroused  the  passive  intellect  of  the  women  of  these 
lauds.  Much  of  this  work  is  carried  on  in  the  seclusion  of 
the  zenana,  and  the  quiet  retreat  of  the  school-room,  among 
those  who  shrink  from  observation  and  know  little  of  the 
outside  world.  The  missionaries  have  kept  steadily  in  view 
the  development  of  the  peculiar  life  of  these  women  from 
their  own  native  stand-point,  and  the  infusion  of  Christian¬ 
ity;  and  whether  in  the  domestic,  educational,  or  spiritual, 
departments  of  work  they  have  had  but  this  one  end  in  view. 
“  When  I  goto  live  in  my  own  house,”  said  a  child  in  one  of 
these  schools,  “  I  will  keep  it  so  clean  that  everyone  will 
say :  See  how  nice  Christians  are !  And  I  will  talk  with 
everybody,  and  persuade  them  to  be  Christians.”  A  pure 
light  has  dawned  upon,  and  a  new  era  has  come  to  these 
women.  They  have  received  a  better  ideal  of  family  rela¬ 
tions,  of  womanhood  and  of  home. 


54 


twenty  years  op  the 


A  new  living  and  transforming  power  has  entered  their 
hearts  and  lives.  One  says  to  a  missionary,  “  your  words 
are  very  precious,  we  could  listen  all  day.”  Another,  “  It 
is  wonderful  how  Jesus  cares  for  me.  I  want  nothing  but 
wisdom  to  tell  my  people  of  Him.”  A  priestess,  becoming 
interested  in  the  Christian  hymns  she  had  heard  sung  by  the 
way  side,  by  one  of  these  Bible  women,  gave  her  heart  to 
Christ.  Another  said  :  “  Before  I  heard  you,  I  did  not  think 
it  wrong  to  worship  idols.  I  know  now  they  cannot  help  me, 
and  I  do  not  go  any  more  to  the  river  to  wash  away  my  sins, 
for  that  cannot  cleanse  my  heart.”  A  woman,  unable  to  walk, 
talks  of  Jesus  to  the  women  who  come  to  her  house.  One 
said,  “  I  was  standing  outside  listening  to  your  hymns,  when 
the  song  went  to  my  soul,  and  I  want  you  to  come  to  my 
house  and  sing  these  beautiful  words.”  Another  says,  “  tell 
our  guests  who  have  come  from  a  long  distance,  what  you 
have  told  us  about  Christ.”  Another,  “  I  am  saved,  and  fear 
not  death.” 

We  have  elsewhere  given  some  of  the  statistics  of  the 
schools  and  scholars,  Bible  women  and  hospitals,  the  thou¬ 
sands  reached  in  the  zenanas,  and  through  this  medical 
work ;  but,  after  all,  these  statistics  give  a  very  inadequate  con¬ 
ception  of  the  work  that  is  being  done.  Statistics  can  not 
tell  the  uncounted  hundreds  of  heathen  women  in  China, 
India,  and  elsewhere,  who,  in  these  twenty  years  have  for  the 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


55 


first  time  in  their  lives  heard  that  Christ  came  to  save  women 
as  well  as  men ;  the  glad  tidings  have  been  carried  to  the 
Zenanas  of  Lucknow,  the  villages  of  Rohilkund,  the  stone- 
built  hamlets  of  the  Himalayas,  to  the  homes  of  rich  and 
poor  in  China,  to  the  sinful  people  of  Japan,  to  darkened 
Africa,  to  awakening  Mexico,  to  far-away  South  America, 
and  to  Korea  and  Italy. 

These  women  have  learned  that  in  the  morals  of  Confucian¬ 
ism,  the  rites  of  Brahmanism,  the  “  light”  of  Buddhism,  the 
superstitions  of  Fetichism,  and  the  hard  fate  of  the  false 
prophet  of  Mecca,  there  is  not  that  which  elevates  woman¬ 
hood,  that  these  have  neither  power  nor  purity,  that 

“  ’Tis  Jesus  blood,  His  blood  alone 
Hath  power  sufficient  to  atone. 

His  blood  can  make  them  white  as  snow,” 

No  sacred  streams  “  could  cleanse  them  so.” 

The  influence  of  the  Bible  readers  has  made  hundreds  of 
the  heathen  women  of  India  more  familiar  with  the  facts 
about  Jesus  Christ,  than  they  are  with  those  about  the 
favorite  gods,  Ram  and  Krishna.  The  numbers  seem  small 
compared  with  the  women  not  reached,  yet  these  little  cir¬ 
cles  of  women,  with  their  class-meetings,  their  Chautauqua* 
and  prayer  circles,  and  groups  of  their  “King  Daughters,” 
are  leavening  whole  bodies.  Sometimes  the  results  are  not 
seen  for  years. 


56 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


A  little  girl  in  the  Foochow  school  was  brought  in  one 
evening;  her  salutation,  uttered  with  sprightliness  and  em¬ 
phasis,  was  :  “I  am  seven  years  old,  and  I  have  come  to  read 
books  for  seven  years.”  There  never  was  a  child  in  the 
school  more  studious,  and  giving  always  more  cheerful 
obedience  than  she.  She  became  a  Christian.  Her  school¬ 
days  ended,  she  went  to  her  heathen  home  and  was 
married.  Her  husband  treated  her  well,  but — the  mother-in- 
law  ! — one  look  at  her  hard  face  was  enough  to  show  that 
she  was  a  tyrant.  The  daughter-in-law  was  sent  into  the 
fields  to  work,  and  was  not  allowed  to  attend  church,  yet 
she  bore  patiently  for  years  all  the  mother’s  ill-treatment. 
It  really  seemed  as  though  the  labor  and  teaching  bestowed 
upon  her  were  in  vain.  Time  passed  on,  and  the  mother  be¬ 
came  less  harsh  and  exacting,  then  kind,  and  then  she  permit¬ 
ted  the  daughter  to  gather  together  each  day  in  her  house, 
twenty  of  the  village  children  to  teach  them  hymns,  the 
Gospels,  and  Psalms. 

“Take  but  a  half  dozen  out  of  the  baptized  converts”  in 
the  Tokyo  Home,  says  one  missionary,  “and  look  at  their 
present  positions  ;  two  or  three  are  wives  of  native  preachers, 
standing  side  by  side  with  their  husbands  in  work  for 
Christ;  gathering  children  in  Sunday-schools,  and  women 
into  prayer-meetings  and  Bible  classes.  And  another  two  or 
three  going  back  to  their  heathen  homes  with  the  Bible  in 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society. 


57 


their  hands,  and  by  word  and  example  winning  their  friends 
to  accept  of  its  truths;  and  by  being  “instant  in  season 
and  out  of  season,”  causing  their  heathen  neighbors  to  ex¬ 
claim  :  “This  Jesus  Christ  teaching  must  be  a  good  thing.” 

In  these  twenty  years  we  perceive  in  these  lands  no  changes 
in  the  hills  and  mountains,  the  rivers  and  valleys,  in  fertile 
plains  and  sandy  wastes ;  the  winds  blow,  the  rains  fall,  the 
sand-storms  whirl,  the  everlasting  snows  remain  as  brilliant 
as  aforetime,  but  upon  society,  upon  souls,  has  come  a 
great,  a  wondrous  change. 

A  little  over  twenty  years  ago,  a  heathen  in  India  said  to 
a  native  Christian  :  “You  Christians  are  but  a  handful,  while 
the  world  is  filled  with  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans  ;  what 
can  you  accomplish?”  The  Christian  smiled,  and  pointing 
to  a  newly  ploughed  field,  said  :  “Behold  that  bare  field,  in 
which  not  a  blade  of  grass  is  now  to  be  seen ;  when  God 
sends  rain  from  heaven,  a  single  night  will  cover  it  with 
green.”  We  now  have  only  to  look  out  upon  the  fields,  and 
there  bursts  upon  our  delighted  vision  a  scene  like  that 
pictured  by  the  prophetic  bard  three  thousand  years  ago, 
when  he  so  sweetly  sang  : 

“  The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 

SHALL  BE  GLAD  FOR  THEM,  AND  THE  DESERT 
SHALL  REJOICE  AND  BLOSSOM  AS  THE  ROSE.” 


SUMMARY  OF  HOME  WORK. 


58 


TWENTY  YEARS  OF  THE 


•paaRI  ‘AY  H 

0!}  sjgquogqng 

r - 

2,822 

3,742 

1,898 

704 

2,315 

4,634 

1,505 

657 

1,520 

19,797 

•pajnquisxa 
spaing  ajipi 

2,366 

3,525 

745 

5,600 

1,035 

307 

13,578 

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30 

40 

28 

5 

1 

44 

69 

27 

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36 

I- 

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14 

19 

5 

8 

14 

10 

1 

pH 

tH 

•s.i9Srubj\[  AraaouoH 

48 

89 

24 

6 

98 

98 

34 

34 

21 

O 

•sJ9qai9j\[  ojig 

1,190 

1,318 

458 

182 

1,420 

3,162 

876 

296 

549 

9,451 

•diqsj9qui9j\[  jnpx 

13,416 

30,156 

15,063 

5,814 

13,860 

26,386 

10,529 

3,739 

8,215 

127,178 

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584 

967 

456 

176 

954 

1,220 

570 

166 

356 

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0 

*sa9qiu9j\[ 

1,954 

4,070 

640 

2,782 

1 ,426 

346 

11,218 

•spang  s(U9apiiq3 

O^OO^GOt-HOOI^ 
rH  OI  tJ4  rH  CO  *— *  pH  • 

rH  pH  <  tH  ri  pH  • 

tH 

tH 

tH 

'S.I9qui9J\[ 

1,108 

720 

1,500 

981 

140 

2,240 

6,689 

•S9I!}9t90g 
«S9ipng  SunoA 

H4  •  •  tH  O  (M  pH  t—  t- 

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•  •  rH 

QO 

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•SJ9qUl9J\[ 

10.354 

30,156 

10,993 

5,814 

12,500 

22,104 

8,122 

3,253 

5,975 

109,271 

•sgunigxnv 

430 

846 

308 

145 

716 

1,017 

401 

142 

259 

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Branch. 

New  England . 

New  York . 

Philadelphia . 

Baltimore . 

Cincinnati . 

North-Western . 

Des  Moines . 

Minneapolis . 

Topeka  . 

Total . 

SUMMARY  OF  FOREIGN  WORK,  BY  BRANCHES. 


woman’s  foreign  missionary  society 


59 


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■ 


FIVE  YEARS 

OF  THE 

woman's  foreign  missionary  society 

1889-1894. 


In  the  year  1889  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Meth¬ 
odist  Episcopal  Church  celebrated  the  twentieth  year  of  its  organization, 
and  in  commemoration  thereof  issued  a  brief  historical  sketch  of  about 
sixty  pages.  The  Society  has  now  added  another  mile-stone  in  its  jour¬ 
ney.  The  23d  of  March,  1894,  completes  the  first  quarter  of  a  century’s 
work,  and  we  note  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  events  of  the  last  five 
years,  that  will  bring  the  history  to  date. 

We  come  to  this  period  in  our  history  to  take  both  a  backward  and  a 
forward  glance,  to  have  our  hearts  refreshed  with  blessed  memories,  to 
unite  our  voices  in  thanksgiving  for  the  way  the  Lord  hath  led  us,  and 
to  plan  more  largely,  and  we  trust  more  wisely  for  the  extension  of  the 
Redeemer’s  kingdom  over  the  world.  Every  interest  of  the  Society  both 
at  home  and  abroad  has  advanced  within  the  past  five  years.  The  work 
has  developed,  the  means  to  carry  it  on  have  increased,  the  agents  to 
execute  its  plans  have  multiplied. 

In  the  year  18S9  there  were  5,531  Auxiliary  Societies;  there  are  now 
5,894,  showing  an  increase  of  363.  There  were  then  135,000  members 
now  there  are  151,000,  an  increase  in  the  five  years  of  16,000.  Then  there 
were  19,400  subscribers  to  the  Heathen  Woman's  Friend ,  now  there  are 
21,529,  an  increase  of  2,129.  The  receipts  that  have  come  into  the 
treasury  during  this  period  are  $1,250,000,  an  advance  of  nearly  $400,000 
over  the  preceding  five  years. 


More  missionaries  have  been  sent  to  the  foreign  field  than  in  the  ten 
years  preceding. 

The  work  of  the  Literature  Committee  has  been  greatly  systematized 
within  this  period,  and  a  large  amount  of  missionary  literature  issued. 
Besides  maps,  calendars,  etc.,  the  committee  has  printed  and  circulated 
about  nine  million  pages  of  leaflets. 

In  1889  the  New  England  Branch  placed  in  Tremont  Street  church, 
Boston,  where  the  organization  of  the  Society  was  completed,  a 
beautiful  memorial  window,  bearing  the  names  of  the  original  founders 
in  commemoration  not  only  of  the  great  work  accomplished,  but  as  a 
fitting  tribute  to  the  devoted  band  of  workers  through  whose  untiring 
efforts  the  Society  became  an  established  fact.  At  the  session  of  the 
General  Executive  Committee  held  in  Detroit  in  1889  representatives 
from  the  Pacific  appeared  for  the  first  time,  the  organization  of  the 
Branch  having  been  completed  December  5,  1888. 

It  was  at  this  meeting  that  arrangements  were  made  for  publishing  a 
children’s  paper,  which  has  had  a  remarkable  growth,  and  now  has  a 
subscription  list  of  13,512.  Mrs.  O.  W.  Scott  was  appointed  editor,  and 
the  first  copy  of  this  paper  appeared  January,  1890. 

This  year  (1889)  twenty-one  missionaries  were  sent  to  the  fields,  one- 
third  as  many  as  had  been  sent  the  preceding  five  years. 

It  was  this  year  that  one  of  the  leaders  fell  at  her  post,  Mrs.  E.  B.  Hoag, 
the  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Nortlrwestern  Branch,  having  died 
September  26th  at  Albion,  Michigan. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Uniform  Studies  as  a  supplement  to  the  Heathen 
Woman's  Friend  was  published  January  1890. 

It  was  in  1890  that  a  wonderful  development  of  missionary  zeal  was 
manifest  among  the  young  people.  Of  the  addition  of  nearly  three 
thousand  members  to  the  ranks  of  the  Society  that  year,  a  large  propor¬ 
tion  was  young  people. 

The  year  1891  was  marked  by  the  death,  on  September  5th,  of  Miss 


Isabel  Hart,  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Baltimore  Branch,  who 

had  been  associated  with  the  Society  in  her  official  relation  for  twenty 
years. 

At  the  session  of  the  General  Executive  Committee  held  in  Spring- 
field,  Mass.,  18S2,  a  request  was  presented  for  a  division  of  the 
Minneapolis  Branch,  which  request  was  granted,  and  the  Columbia 
River  Branch  organized  at  Portland,  Oregon,  December  7,  1892,  includ¬ 
ing  part  of  the  territory  formerly  connected  with  the  Minneapolis  Branch . 

Three  of  the  Society’s  missionaries  died  during  1892,  viz :  Miss  E.  d. 
Eventing,  of  Japan,  at  her  home  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  January  13th;  Miss 
M.  E.  Layton  at  Cawnpore,  India,  April  22d;  andjMiss  M.  E.  V.  Pardoe 
at  Tokyo,  Japan,  August  31st. 

Iliat  same  year  the  work  was  reinforced  by  twenty— tAvo  neAV  mission 
aries.  At  the  session  of  the  General  Conference  held  in  Omaha,  1832, 
the  interests  of  the  Society  received  very  careful  consideration,  and  by 
the  action  of  that  body  much  greater  liberty  Avas  sanctioned  in  taking- 
collections  in  the  interests  of  the  Society’s  work. 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1893,  Mrs.  Id.  M.  Warren  died  at  her  home 
suddenly  in  Cambridgeport,  Mass.  For  twenty-four  consecutive  years 
she  was  editor  of  the  Heathen  Woman's  Friend ,  and  had  been  identified 
with  every  interest  of  the  Society  since  its  organization.  Her  daughter 
Mrs.  M.W.Ayars,  was  appointed  editor  of  the  Frie7id  and  carried  on  her 
work  until  the  close  of  the  year.  In  July  of  ’93  the  paper  was  changed 
into  the  magazine  form.  At  the  General  Executive  Committee  meeting 
held  in  St.  Paul,  Miss  Louise  Manning  Hodgkins  Avas  elected  to  the 
editorship  of  the  paper.  In  October  of  the  same  year  Mrs.  Bishop  Clark 
died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Davis,  in  Cincinnati.  She  had 
been  President  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  from  its  organization,  over 
twenty-three  years,  and  had  been  a  most  devoted  worker. 

In  the  foreign  fields  occupied  by  the  Society,  the  work  has  made  great 
advance.  Peru  on  the  west  coast  of  South  America  is  the  only  neAy  Avork 


taken  up  during  the  five  years.  Miss  Elsie  Wood,  our  first  missionary  to 
that  country, arrived  there  August,  1891,  and  immediately  commenced  her 
work.  She  now  has  under  her  care  128  scholars. 

There  has  been  during  this  period  a  marked  development  among  the 
young  people  in  our  schools  in  all  mission  fields.  King’s  Daughters’ 
Circles,  Epworth  Leagues,  Missionary  and  Literary  Societies  have  been 
formed  and  carried  on  with  great  enthusiasm.  Revivals  have  brought 
many  into  church,  and  in  one  or  two  cases  all  the  students  connected 
with  certain  schools  were  converted.  Seventy-five  missionaries  have 
been  sent  out  in  the  five  years. 

On  October  28,  1892,  occurred  the  great  earthquake  in  Japan,  when  one 
of  our  boarding  schools  was  broken  up  and  our  missionaries  at  Nagoya 
barely  escaped  with  their  lives. 

While  these  in  Japan  had  to  contend  with  earthquake  and  fires,  others 
in  China  have  had  to  endure  persecution  and  destruction  of  property  by 
riots,  and  others  had  to  face  famine  in  India.  Large  numbers  have  been 
baptized  in  India,  and  multitudes  of  women  have  been  and  are  pleading 
for  instruction. 

A  fine  property  was  purchased  in  Montevideo,  South  America,  foi 
school  purposes  during  1893,  another  in  Rome,  and  a  new  building  is 
being  erected  in  Pachuea,  Mexico.  Our  Mission  in  Mexico  has  been 
visited  by  Mrs.  Bishop  Eoss,  Missions  in  Europe  by  Mrs.  Bishop  Joyce. 
Missions  in  South  America  by  Mrs.  Bishop  Newman;  and  Mis.  Keen 
Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  Philadelphia  Branch,  is  now  taking  a 
trip  around  the  world,  visiting  and  carefully  examining  the  work. 

MRS.  J.  T.  GRACEY. 


AN  ACCOUNT  OP 


WOMAN’S  MEDICAL  WORK 

IN 

Foreign  Lands, 

[Revised  Edition.] 


1®  connection  with  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 


By  MRS.  J.  T.  GRACEY, 

With  an  Introduction  by  Bishop  I.  W.  Wiley,  M.D. ,  LL.D. 


FJSICE,  30  cU.  PER  COPY. 


For  sale  by  Miss  Pauline  J.  Walden,  Agent,  36  Broinfield  8t.,  Boston 


